Better Future with Michael Mezz
This podcast brings you the people, projects, and ideas that are helping steer the world toward a better future. Hosted by Michael Mezzatesta, it features conversations with innovators and changemakers. Each episode explores topics like sustainability, technology, and social impact. The show aims to inspire listeners to contribute to positive change.
Episodes
How Economics Failed Us – and Why We Need Doughnut Economics Instead | Kate Raworth
My guest today is Kate Raworth – renegade economist, author of Doughnut Economics, and co-founder of the Doughnut Economics Action Lab. We get into why mainstream economics leaves out ecology, inequality, and human wellbeing – and what a 21st century economic framework should look like. Kate introduces doughnut economics: a model for meeting the needs of all people within the planetary boundaries
013 - Olivier De Schutter on Why the Economy Creates Poverty – and How To Fix It
My guest today is Olivier De Schutter – UN Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights, and one of the most important voices in the global movement to redesign the economy around human wellbeing rather than endless growth for the ultra-rich.We recorded this conversation at the +Wellbeing Economy Forum in Iceland, and our discussion covers a lot of ground – the myths that prop up capital
012 - Rob Hopkins on Radical Imagination & Falling in Love with the Future
My guest today is Rob Hopkins – co-founder of the Transition Network, a global movement supporting communities to reimagine and rebuild their local economies in response to climate and economic crisis. He's the author of several books, including his most recent, How to Fall in Love with the Future, which makes the case that imagination – not fear – is the most powerful force for change we have. We
011 - Dr. Butch Ware on Dismantling the US Empire and the Two-Party System
My guest today is Dr. Butch Ware – historian, professor, and Green Party candidate for Governor of California. In this episode, Dr. Ware argues that the Democrat-Republican duopoly serves the same corporate donors, wages the same wars, and has delivered the same failed outcomes for working people – and that California's 2026 governor's race is a chance for something better. We get into why
010 - Greg Stoker on Iran, U.S. Imperialism, and Why the Wars Never Stop
My guest today is Greg Stoker, a former U.S. Army Ranger who has become a prominent anti-imperialist activist, journalist, and geopolitical commentator. In this conversation, we discuss the escalating conflict in Iran and the broader forces driving U.S. military intervention abroad. Greg shares an insider perspective on how soldiers are taught to understand America’s role in the world, the pervasi
009 - Saikat Chakrabarti on Billionaires, AI, and How to Reclaim Democracy
My guest today is Saikat Chakrabarti – former chief of staff to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, co-founder of Justice Democrats, co-author of the Green New Deal, and now a candidate for Congress running to replace Nancy Pelosi in San Francisco. We discuss whether the Democratic Party can be transformed from within, why corporate money has hollowed out American politics, and what it would take to build a
008 - Lessons From Resisting ICE — Strategies That Work for the Left (with Aru Shiney-Ajay)
My guest is Aru Shiney-Ajay, Executive Director of the Sunrise Movement. We spoke while Aru was on the ground in Minneapolis during an unprecedented wave of ICE raids that have shaken the city – and sparked a powerful, decentralized organizing response.We go beyond the headlines to what’s actually working: neighborhood-level organizing, mutual aid networks, logistical disruption, and new strategie
007 – Steven Donziger on Chevron, Corporate Retaliation, and Climate Justice
My guest today is Steven Donziger, a human rights and environmental lawyer best known for leading a historic legal case against Chevron on behalf of Indigenous communities in the Ecuadorian Amazon.We discuss Chevron’s environmental crimes, the weaponization of the legal system, the implications of the recent $600+ million verdict against Greenpeace USA, and what all of this means for climate activ
006 – Donnie Maclurcan on Post-Growth Economics & the Future Beyond Capitalism
My guest today is Donnie Maclurcan, founder of the Post Growth Institute and a thinker who played a major role in my own journey. In this episode, Donnie breaks down why money accumulation under capitalism necessarily produces rising debt and inequality, leading to human suffering and ecological breakdown. We also go deep into possibilities for a better future – including the ways not-for-profit b
005 - Grace Blakeley on Power, Inequality, and How Elites Captured Capitalism
My guest today is Grace Blakeley – UK-based political economist and author of three books, including her most recent: Vulture Capitalism. We discuss how political and corporate elites work together to protect their interests, why governments prop up monopolies, and how “the system” isn’t broken – in fact, it’s working exactly as it’s designed. We also touch on the history of capitalism and enclosu
004 - Elizabeth Booker Houston on Race, Class, and the Future of the Left
My guest today is Elizabeth Booker Houston – lawyer, comedian, and political commentator based in Washington DC. We discuss white supremacy in US politics, how to integrate class consciousness with anti-racism, the false myth of “rugged individualism,” and how to build a bridge between identity politics and class politics within the progressive movement.Follow Elizabeth Booker Houston on social me
003 - Jason Hickel on Post-Capitalism, Degrowth, and Why Capitalism Can’t Solve Climate Change
My guest today is Jason Hickel, Professor at the Institute for Environmental Science & Technology (ICTA) at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, and author of two books: The Divide and Less is More. We discuss why a growth-based capitalist economy is incompatible with a livable planet, and what a truly democratic, post-capitalist economy could look like. We cover lots of topics – including
002 – Building Community Power in a Failing System (with Raymond Wei)
My guest today is Raymond Wei – filmmaker, community organizer, and co-founder of The Conscious Citizens. Ray creates sharp, accessible videos about everything from geopolitics to community organizing, and his work is rooted in on-the-ground experience. In this episode, we talk about building community power, the rise of the authoritarian police state, and how to lay the bricks for a better future
001 — Is Capitalism Compatible with a Green Future? (with Aru Shiney-Ajay)
Welcome to the Better Future podcast. My guest today is Aru Shiney-Ajay, Executive Director of the Sunrise Movement. We discuss the state of the left, the importance of activism, the future of the Democratic Party, and how to align our political and economic systems with a better future.To join the Sunrise Movement and/or learn more about their work, visit their website.Support the Better Future p
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